Tuesday, July 31, 2007

I also have to admit I see that as a bit of a personal failing.My mother is a wonderful cook and while I have learned some of her secrets and I CAN cook, I just don’t like to.I think enjoyment of that particular pastime must skip a generation ‘cause my daughter likes to cook too.

During the winter, I can make myself cook because I love leftover hotdishes and casseroles, and the handy, dandy crockpot makes things simple.

But it’s summer.Not only can I think of so many other things I’d like to do besides hanging around in the kitchen, I don’t want to heat up the house with the oven, let alone eat all those heavy wintery foods.I’m stumped.

On top of that, I’ve been furiously writing with my 9/1 deadline looming and now have an excuse not to cook.Still feel badly about that, though.Strangely enough, my heroine in the current WIP hates cooking too.Naturally, the hero enjoys effortlessly tossing together marvelous meals.I know, I know.It’s not reality, but it is my fantasy.

My family is sick of mac and cheese, frozen pizzas and cold sandwiches.The nearby take out restaurants know our orders by heart.

So … I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours …

My simple, summery food idea (can’t really call it a recipe) tastes so good, I actually crave it.Chop up any veggie that you can poke with a skewer and grill.I use mushrooms, all varieties of peppers, red, green and yellow, zucchini, and onions.Put them in a Ziploc baggie and pour a bottle of Italian dressing over them.Let ‘em sit for half an hour, or longer if you like strong flavor.Stick ‘em on a skewer and grill.

It’s good for you, and the leftovers taste great too.

What’s your favorite, easy, grilling or summer dinner idea.No recipes, please, unless they are so simple and quick Big Bird could put it together, clumsy hands and all.My idea of easy is opening a bottle of marinade, or can of something and pouring it over something else.I love recipes that take advantage of already partially prepared food items like bagged lettuce, or skinned and deboned chicken breasts.

My family will love you for this.

Oh, and I have a vegetarian at home who will eat fish, so any seafood ideas are especially welcome!

24 comments:

I don't like to cook in the summertime either, Helen. But come winter I am the queen of the roast beef and dumplings. :-)

I don't grill, because I'm not creative grill-wise. The easiest way to make an awesome roasted chicken though, is go to the grocery store meat section. Find the Golden Plump already bagged chickens (they come in three or four different flavors.) Go home, dump chicken in pan (it comes out in another bag, so you don't even have to touch raw meat) put in over, cook two hours.

Out comes the most amazing, juicy chicken that'll serve a family of four. Tastes like you worked on it all day. I swear, who ever invented this easy-bake chicken had to be a woman, because men just don't get it.

I'm a big fan of salads in the summer. Whenever I do heat up the stovetop(like browning ground beef)I make double portions and put half in the fridge. That way the beef can dress up a frozen pizza or make a taco filling that makes a terrific taco salad.

Okay, up front, I love to cook. Now that's out of the way, here's a super easy re... ah way to cook fish.

Take any firm hite fish fillet, not more than 1/2 thick(tilapia is my favorie). Put it on a sheet of foil. Smear both sides with Thai red curry paste (buy it already prepared in the internation foods section). Fold up the foil into a nice neat packet around the fish. Turn on the grill to medium. Put the fish on for five minutes--seven max if you like your fish over cooked. Open the foil. Eat. Heaven!

As a side dish to whatever meat you want to grill, we take a big piece of foil and spray with Pam, slice potatoes thinly and slice onions. Sprinkle salt and pepper on and add dobs of butter around the contents. Wrap the foil into a packet and put on BBQ. We have added peppers or carrots before. Yummy.

Cooking's fun when you have the time to slave over a stove. Here are my favorite easy preps:

This is sooo easy and sooo delicious. Take a beer (light for you dieters). Pop the top. Shove it up a chicken's bottom. Stand chicken on grill until thoroughly cooked. And Volia! you've have Drunk Chicken! (BTW- no hint of beer taste, but it'll be the juisiest stuff ever!)

For a veggie, Fesh corn, pull back the shuck, add a pad of butter, replace shuck, wrap in foil, place on grill and leave. Best stuff you'll wrap your tongue around!

Keri, I've done the beer thing with a chicken before and it is amazing how tender and juicy it turns out. Haven't done corn that way before, though. Do you have to soak them in water so the husks don't burn?

Helen, no. I just pull the husk back, add about a tablespoon of butter and re-wrap the husk around then corn. then I wrap it tightly in foil before putting it on the grill. I guess the butter steams it and keeps it from burning.